I-77 traffic stop nets $5.2 million in meth, 4 arrests, $100,000 in cash

Authorities seized $5.2 million worth of methamphetamine and arrested four men from Georgia, Nevada and West Virginia on Interstate 77 in northern Iredell County this week.

Sheriff’s investigators spotted the men exchanging packages at a convenience store just off the interstate at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. When they saw the officers, the men sped off in four vehicles, two onto I-77 south and two onto I-77 north, Sheriff Darren Campbell said Wednesday.

As officers spoke with the drivers, a police dog sniffed out drugs in all four vehicles, Campbell said. Investigators seized 28 pounds of meth and $100,000 in cash, he said.

“It shows the amount of drugs that travel up and down our interstates,” Campbell said at a news conference, according to the Statesville Record & Landmark. “Just think, if this had made it to the streets, how many potential addicts did this prevent? How many kids did this prevent from having access to these drugs?”

“This isn’t shake-and-bake meth,” said Capt. Bill Hamby, who oversees the sheriff’s narcotics division. “This is obviously a high-grade production of methamphetamine.”

Arrested on various felony drug charges were Rofelle Delone Nash, 36, of Marrow, Ga.; Paul Edward Glover III, 28, Charleston, W.Va., $2 million; Christian Daniel Delgado Hernandez, 32, North Las Vegas, Nev.; and John Douglas Shanell Gray 39, of Atlanta.

Nash, Glover and Hernandez were jailed on $2 million bail. Gray was jailed on $1 million bail.

This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 6:08 PM with the headline "I-77 traffic stop nets $5.2 million in meth, 4 arrests, $100,000 in cash."